Operating means for curtains



July 23, 1929.

C. L. GOLDSMITH ET AL v OPERATING MEANS FOR CURTAINS Filed May 19, 1928m ZIM m w E: w ,0 z .8 M

Patented July 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,721,622 PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER LEROY GOLDSMITH AND BERT F. WOOD, OF WINCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

OPERATING MEANS FOR CURTAINS.

Application filed May 19,

This invention relates to operating means for curtains and it isprimarily an object of the invention to provide means whereby the driverof a motor driven vehicle may readily operate a rear curtain to open andclose the rear window or light as the occasions of practice may requireand to particularly prevent interference with the driving of the car ofthe rays of the headlights of a following vehicle passing through therear window with a resultant liability of causing confusion to thedriver.

Another object of the invention is to provide means of this kind wherebythe curtain may be readily and conveniently adjusted into closedposition and effectively maintained in such position, said means alsopermitting a ready release to allow the curtain to return to itsnormally open position.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in thecombination and arrangement of the several parts of our improvedoperating means for curtains whereby certain important advantages areattained a and the device rendered simpler, less expensive and otherwisemore convenient and advantageous for use, as will 'be hereinafter morefully set forth.

The novel features of our invention will hereinafter be definitelyclaimed.

In order that our invention may be the better understood, we will nowproceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawing,wherein Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View in perspective illustrating anoperating means for a curtain constructed in accordance with anembodiment of our invention;

Figure 2 is a view partly in section and partly in rear elevation of themovable operating member and the parts directly associated therewith asherein embodied;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken lengthwise on the line 3-3 of Figure1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 ofFigure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 55 ofFigure 2.

As herein disclosed, C denotes a curtain of a conventional typeassociated with a spring roller R which operates to normally maintainthe curtain C wound therearound and in open position with respect to therear window or light W of an automobile body, preferably of an inclosedtype.

Depending from the opposite sides of the 1928. Serial No. 279,096.

lower or free end of the curtain C are the operating cords 1 which aredirected around suitably positioned guide rolls 2 and are continued by asingle operating cord 3 whereby pull upon the cord 3 results in evenpull upon the cords 1 to effect desired lowering of the curtain C toeffectually close the rear Window or light W. The cord 3 is continuedthrough a orwardly directed conduit or tubular member 4, in practicepreferably comprised in the roof or top structure of the car body, saidconduit 4 having its forward end terminating at a point preferably abovethe back of the front or drivers seat.

The cord 3 extends downwardly from said forward or front end of theconduit or memher 4 and has its free end portionv provided elongatedplate 10 secured to a side wall of the car body at a point immediatelyadjacent to a door opening and above the back of the front or driversseat. This plate 10 is provided lengthwise thereof with a slot 11through which is adapted to travel a forwardly disposed arm 12 formedwith the lower portion of the plate 7. This arm 12 immediately inadvance of the plate 10 is enlarged to provide the inner steppedshoulders 14 and 15, the inner shoulders 14 being readily receivedwithin the notches 16 formed in the plate 10 at opposite sides of theslot 11 at the bottom 1 thereof whereby when the plate 7 is pulleddownwardly, the curtain C will be effectively held in its position drawnacross the rear window or light W to close the same against such lightbeams as would otherwise have a tendency to pass therethrough, such asemitted from the headlights of a following machine, which would have atendency to cause confusion to the driver of the car.

When the arm 12 has its lower portion swung outwardly to release theshoulders 14 from engagement with the plate 10, the tension of thespring roller R will result in an immediate winding up of the curtain Cwith portion of the slot 11.

It is to be understood that in practice the slot 11 in the plate 10 isof a length sufiicient to permit requisite pull being imposed upon theplate 7 to assure sufficient unwinding or movement of the curtain C toproperly close the rear window or light W.

The outer enlarged portion of the arm 12 is dispos'ed on a suitableupward curvature to provide a finger piece 17 to facilitate therequisite manipulation of the plate 7 and more particularly the desireddownward pull thereon.

Anchored to the inner face of the plate 10 is an end portion ofaretractilecoiled spring 18 the opposite end portion-being continued byan elongated straight arm 19 which is freely disposed through a guidingblock 20 carried by and extending rearwardly from the plate 10. Theouter or free end portion of this arm 19 is returned to provide a hookedbill 21 disposed inwardly on an angle of approximately forty-fivedegrees with respect to the arm 19. This block 20 is provided with anopen slot 22 to permit the ready application of the outer or free endportion of the arm 19 thereto and the lower portion of this slot 2:2 is.substantially intersected by a pin 23 carried by the plate 10 with whichis normally engaged the bill 21 under the inherent contraction of thespring 18.

The upper corner portion of the plate 7 is cut away to provide ashoulder 24 which is provided with a pocket or recess 25 disposed onsubstantially the same angle as the bill 21. When the plate 7 isreleased from the lower portion of the slot 11 to permit the curtain Cto rewind into open position. as the. plate 7 travels upwardly, whichwill be with considerable speed, the bill 21 enters the pocket or recess24 placing the spring 18 under increased tension thereby retarding thespeed of upward travel of the plate 7 and thus preventing breakage toany of the cords 1 and 3 or any of the connections therefor. In otherwords, the spring 18 serves as a bumper for the plate 7 in its upwardtravel to increase the efliciency of the mechanism as a whole.

vIt is to be noted that the block 6 is positioned a distance below theupper end of the plate 7 so that when the plate 7 is .in its loweredpositionv with the arm 12 in locking engagement with the plate 10, thetension imposed on the cord 3 by the shade-roller R- will cause saidplate 7 to assume an angle which will effectively maintain such lockingengagement until the same has been manually released.

It is also to be noted that the portion of the side wall with which theplate 10 is associated is cut away or recessed to assure the properoperation of the plate 7 and the parts directly associated therewith.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that anoperating means for curtains constructed in accordance with ourinvention is particularly well adapted for use by reason of theconvenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated,and it will also be obvious that our invention is susceptible of somechange and modification without departing from the principles and spiritthereof and for this reason we do not wish to be understood as limitingourselves to the precise arrangement and formation of the several partsherein shown in carrying out our invention in practice except ashereinafter claimed.

We claim:

1. The combination with a spring roller carried shade having a pullcord, of a reciprocable latch having said pull cord attached thereto, aguide for said latch, and means for secpring said latch when the same isshifted. to a predetermined position in the guide, said latch whenreleased being shifted in the guide by the spring roller of the shade asthe shade is wound thereon.

.2. The combination with a spring roller carried shade having a pullcord, of a reciprocable latch having said pull cord attached thereto, aguide for said latch, means for 'securing said latch when the same isshifted to a predetermined position in the guide, said latch whenreleased being shifted in the guide by the spring roller of the shade asthe shade is wound thereon, and means for checking the movement of thelatch under the influence of the spring roller at a predetermined pointin itsmovement along the guide,

3. The combination with a spring roller carried shade having a pull cordattached thereto, of a remote control device comprising a plate having aslot therein, a latch slidable longitudinally of and in the slot anddesigned to have said pull cord attached thereto, means for securing thelatch at a predetermined point in the slot to hold said shade at adesired unrolled position, the re-rolling action of the shade rolleracting to draw the latch when released to the other end of said slot,and means for checking the movement of the latch in the slot adjacentthe said other end while being moved thereto in the manner described.

4. The combination with a spring roller mounted shade having a pull cordattached thereto, of a remote control element comprising a slotted guidemember having lateral notches in the side edges of the slot at one endof the same, a latch plate designed to be arranged adjacent one face ofthe guide plate and to overlie said slot, a tongue carried at one end ofthe latch plate having a reduced portron for extension through said slotto position the tongue forwardly of the other face of the guide plate,said pull cord being adapted to be attached to said latch plate, thetongue when drawn to one end of the slot to unroll said shade beingdesigned to engage in said notches and when released from the notchesbeing drawn to the opposite end of the slot through the rewinding actionof the shade, and resilient means acting to check the too rapid returnof the latch plate and tongue to said other end of the slot.

5. The combination with a spring roller mounted shade having a pull cordattached thereto, of a remote control element comprising a slotted guidemember having lateral notches in the side edges of the slot at one endof the same, a latch plate designed to be arranged adjacent one face ofthe guide plate and to overlie said slot, a tongue carried at one end ofthe latch plate having a reduced portion for extension through saidslotto position the tongue forwardly of the other face of the guideplate, said pull cord being adapted to be attached to said latch plate,the tongue when drawn to one end of the slot to unroll said shade beingdesigned to engage in said notches and when released from the notchesbeing drawn to the opposite end of the slot through the rewinding actionof the shade, and a check for the return movement of the latch plate tosaid other end of the slot comprising a spring mounted adjacent the slotand having a portion extending into the line of movement of the latchplate for engagement thereby.

In testimony whereof We hereunto aflix our signatures.

CHESTER LEROY GOLDSMITH. BERT F. WOOD.

